Uncertainty

‘There are two things guarantee in life, death and taxes.” I recently heard this quote and of course where I heard it now escapes me, yet it resonated with me deeply, since there have been multiple events causing stress and uncertainty. In a nutshell these are changes at my work, to changes at my husband’s work, from voting in a new pastor at our church, to trying to find a house, from our van not working, and losing one of our cats. This is just on the personal level, on the global level with have the war between Russia and Ukraine, the aggression of China to Tawain, the tension in the Sudan, and the riots in Iran. Then there are the environmental concerns, with the increasingly volatile changes in weather patterns from droughts to floodings, or blistering heat to bitter cold. On the national level we have the upcoming election, the political corruption in both parties, the high inflation, and the rocky financial sector. In the technological sphere with the emergence of ChatGPT, the effects it will have on the job market, not to mention the concerns for deep fakes, the impact on education and so on. Everything right now feels influx, there are so many questions, voices, and opinions, it’s hard to know who to listen to and who to trust. What then is there left to turn too? What can be my rock during this unsettling and turbulent time?  

 Recently I spent some time reading the Psalms. It has become my favorite book to help process any difficult time in my life. The Lord never fails to speak to me through His word. This day was no different, I started reading a classic: Ps 23 – The Lord is my Shepard- verse 4 especially was poignant. It says “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and staff comfort me.” Now I won’t do an in-depth discussion of this verse. That can be for another time, but it’s the reminder that dark and trouble times will happen. Yet through those times, God is with me. There isn’t a promise of rainbows and butterflies. There isn’t even a promise of removing or stopping difficult times, but an assurance that in those moments I am not alone, that He is walking beside me, guiding and comforting me.  

  As I continued reading, I came to Ps 27 – although verses 2 and 3 mention evildoers and an army, the ESV study notes suggest that if you can trust God during these types of situations, you can trust God in all circumstances. Thus, even in the uncertainty of my work or my husband’s work.  In the question of getting a new job or waiting, in perusing a new mortgage or not, this all creates tension and fear. Resulting in stress and anxiety. Because I am depending on myself to figure it all out.  Yet its Ps. 27 which reminds me that God is my rock, he alone is the one I can trust and confide in. This psalm also reminds me that my goal and purpose is to seek to learn His ways, to wait on Him and trust Him in all situations.  

Ps 28 continues with these ideas. Starting off in verse 1 with ” To you O Lord, I call; my rock, be not deaf to me, lest if you be silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.” God is my rock and my foundation. Imagine how unsettling and shocking it is for the very ground under your feet to shake, move and split apart. To have what seems like immovable walls come tumbling down, to see buildings suddenly collapse, and to see cracks form in the ground. But unlike earthly rock that can move, God cannot, there is nothing that can shake Him, surprise Him, or unsettle him. He will not fail me, He will sustain, guide and comfort me -why? Because of His abundant and steadfast love which He promises to us in Ps 32:8-9. Thus, we can rejoice in God for we know that God sees our sorrows and distress Ps. 31: 7-8. There were several other verses, yet the one that brought the most comfort was Ps 34: 8-9 ” Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” Even though I have uncertainty- I can do as reminded in the song Satisfied in You 

“When I am staring at the ground, it’s an in bred feedback loop that brings me down, so it’s time to life my brow and remember better days, when I loved to worship and learn your ways, with the sweetest song of praise.”  

I can lift my gaze from the many struggles and decisions and fix my eyes on the God who with the breath of His mouth He made the hosts, and by His word the heavens were formed. Ps 33: 2-9. Now this does not mean that the stressful and unsettled feelings will go away. There lingering is not a sign of a lack of faith since these feelings of stress are God given, its partly to make you aware of the situation, and partly to motivate you to do something about it. However, it’s in those feelings you do not despair, you do not curse God. You trust Him, wait on Him for as you make decisions, He will guide your steps.  

The last scripture that brought comfort was Col 3:15-17. Now the context of this passage is encouraging us to put off sin and replace it with compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, etc. But in verse 15 it says; “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…see part of the struggle with difficult or stressful times is – it makes us doubt or question God’s love, His presence, and his many promises. It can lead us to anger and frustration, to question the why. Yet it is in these very moments we are to remember Christ and what He did for us. How He fulfilled every prophesy foretold, how He left heaven to walk among man, to live the life we could not live. We can take comfort in knowing that Jesus too faced uncertainty, He had difficult and stressful times. In fact, He was stressed to the point of sweating blood. As He pour out His heart to His Father, so to can we pour our heart out to Christ. Yet in all of this, His obedience did not waver, His faith did not falter. We have a high priest who understands intimately our struggles and intercedes for us. We have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who encourages, teaches, convicts, comforts and intercedes for us. Thus, as Col 3 goes on to say let us give thanks, let us fill our mind with psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, not the endless loop of what ifs and fears. Let us give thanks for all that God has done and will do. Resting in the knowledge that the decisions we make God will guide us, resting in the promises laid out in the Psalms and in the life of Christ. Let us lean into these times, knowing its molding and shaping us to be more like Christ, let us give thanks for the love that God has for us, that He desires good things for us.